Once a Thief

Chung hang sei hoi

A light froth of art theft, Hong Kong-style action and campy comedy from John Woo. A trio of street urchins are raised by a Fagin-like character to lives of crime, something at which they excel. There's something here for everyone, plenty of laughs, suspense and action. There are also a few sly spoofs of previous HK films, including one tip of the hat to Chow Yun-Fat's own "God of Gamblers". Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung and Cherie Chung's characters are attractive, bright and have an interesting three-way romance going. From the (highly campy and very funny) ending, you're never quite sure if all those kids have the same father. Of special note is Chow Yun-Fat's ability to make a character in a wheelchair believable as a total kick-ass thief and ballroom dancer. > This is no heavy Woo-drenched classic but it's a fun watch and definitely worth the price of admission.

Once A Thief is the first collaboration between John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat after their hugely successful THE KILLER. The movie is about three art thieves that want to still just ONE more picture before they retire. As always it is rather predictable that something very dramatic will happen, but you`ll have to see the movie to find out exactly what. Once a Thief can be called a romantic violence-comedy. The actionscenes are nicely directed, but you won`t be blown away by them as by those in THE KILLER. I don`t like many of the jokes in Once A thief. I think most of them are rather corny and just plain stupid. This is a nice example, where a Hong-kongfilm is TOO weird for a Western audience to really appriciate. But I`m sure that Eastern fans will love it to bits, I didn`t. Worth a look though, and a million times better than the EXTREMELY POOR American re-make from 1996. 7,5/10

This is a lighthearted and funny movie that everyone will enjoy. Yes, some people get shot and a few vehicles explode. After all, it's John Woo. But it's very different from the usual heavy, brooding loyalty/betrayal theme of his other movies, and the love triangle is really ... cute. That's right, cute. This is as cute as John Woo will ever get. Chow Yun-Fat is as bad-ass as ever, and you get to see him flirt and be very funny. Leslie shows off his ubiquitous tango skills. And at least 3 very good action scenes. All in all, this is one John Woo movie that's also a date movie. You can even watch this with your Mom.

Once a thief how it was originally conceived by John Woo. And although it was nice that they let him remake(remade) his own work (but sadly for a TV audience as an appetizer for a TV show), this still is the real deal! Chow Yun Fat is captivating as ever, but you also have the great Leslie Cheung, who sadly took his own life a few years ago. But roles like this one make him unforgettable. Overall the movie is a little bit lighter than your average John Woo film, although that doesn't mean you won't recognize it as one! Normally this shouldn't be the first John Woo film you watch, but even if so, it doesn't matter, because you will enjoy it either way! :o) (at least that's what a Woo fan like me is saying/thinking!)

Taking a break from his heavier Heroic Bloodshed titles of lead characters dying (The Killer, Bullet in the Head, A Better Tomorrow Trilogy) , John Woo returns back to genre which he branded his own with a more playful subject: Two brothers and their sister (raised under a strict art thief father) clear the debt they owe their father by engaging in high-risk heists. A High Valued French painting is believed to be cursed , whomever attempts to steal the painting dies. This Super-Valued Painting , along with a hidden triangle of love between the three con-artist , are the main themes of the movie And of course , it features some high class gun-fu featuring Leslie Cheng doing Tom Cruise stunt flips before Tom Cruise was even a thing